On the run
by shadow-girl-1313
Summary: Another orignal from me 3 TO revenger her family a girl's quest turns her into a woman and finds her love


On The Run

I was running, out of breath and exhausted. Running from the stuff I knew about, stuff that other people where killed for knowing. I slid underneath a pile of garbage bags and covered the rest of my body with bags and boxes as they ran by. I just had to ditch them…to get away and stay alive so that I could do something about what they were doing.

I controlled by breath and hardly made any noise at all as I sat there hiding from fate. I held my breath as someone walked towards my hiding place, poking the trash pile.

"Anyone check these piles?" a male voice asked another pair of feet, the voice sent shivers down my spine. It sounded like sharp icicles scrapped across a blackboard.

"No, not yet." The pair of feet responded, and I felt weight being lifted off me. They uncovered my face and yelled for the others around the corner, I jumped off and ran away. I took a sharp right and ran in to the gang leader. He held me by the neck and led me to a street with a dead end, I knew this street well and I knew of a small crawl space that would lead me to a river.

"Let's make sure not to leave any witnesses." He said in a low voice as the other members circled me. They beat me until I couldn't stand, then pulled out knifes to finish their jobs, they stabbed me in the ribs and I screamed and let it fade, as if I was dead. They seamed satisfied with my performance of being dead and they slowly walked off laughing as if they had just been partying.

The pain was torture itself and I seemed to be spinning. It hurt to breathe, open my eyes and I almost screamed with the pain that resonated from moving every inch to the crawl space and going. I fell and coldness and darkness engulfed me.

~~ A young Doctor, named Dante Muraki~~

Dante Muraki stood on the bridge looking at the frozen water below. His silvery hair flowing in the wind, his eyes were green but occasionally changed to silver, he was built like an athlete but he wasn't-he was a doctor and one fresh out of school. He wore a white suit and pants with a black cloak. It was mid-winter and snowing fiercely. A glimpse of red seemed to float underneath the layer of ice on the river. He shook his head, _Impossible._ He thought, and walked down to the two kids playing on the side of the bank.

"Watch were you step boys, you might fall in." he taunted them. They waved at him and shouted back, "We know you'll save us Mr. Muraki."

A smile found it's way across his face as he turned around to walk home.

"Dr. Muraki! There's a girl underneath the ice!" one of the boys screamed. He whipped around and ran towards them, looking for a body in the snow.

"No! In the river!" the smallest boy pointed at the spot of red under the ice on the riverbank. Dante carefully made his way down the hill and onto the ice, a crowd started to from on the bridge.

"Someone get me a hammer and blankets!" He yelled and was surprised to see that a few guys and girls went to find what he asked for. He prayed that the poor soul under the ice would be all right. He was from a big city and the fact that in a small town there wasn't as many resources dampened his spirits and hope. A hammer slid across the ice to his fist brought back his attention and he hit the ice to open it up and get the body out of there. It didn't give, so he hit with all his might and chipped it. The little boys appeared next to him hitting the ice repeatedly attempting to help him, soon the adult men came down and took their spots. They made a hole big enough to drag the body out. They dragged out a girl about 19 or 20, long violet hair with a good figure, dressed in jeans and a black t-shirt.

"Wrap her up in the blankets and take her to my house." Dante told them, looking at a suitcase that bobbed in the hole, trapped from going anywhere else. He picked it up and carried it to his house.

He woke up to find his head lying down on the bed where he had placed his patient. He rubbed his eyes and looked at her, taking in her face for the hundredth time. Still wondering what could have happened to her for her to jump into the most dangerous river around and where she had received those stab wounds. He didn't want her to get sick so he took her temperature and heated a wet washcloth to help her break the fever she had.

~Sara~

I woke up warm and comfortable, except for my dry throat. A young man had his back turned to me, he mumbled something about him needing his resources that he had at home.

"Where am I?" I asked him, he turned around…startled and he rushed over to the bed I laid on.

"You're in a small town south of Nagasaki. I don't remember the name of it yet. But I found you in the river under the ice layer, and I wondered why a beautiful young lady like you would try to commit suicide." He looked at me in sorrow and confusion.

"I didn't. I was beaten for seeing something that I shouldn't have, they murdered my family over it and they tried to kill me but I escaped with a small suitcase hidden from them." My eyes began to tear up as I remembered why they killed us.

"Was it really that bad?" He asked, going over to grab a box of tissues and a mug. He handed both to me and pulled up a chair.

"What's in this?" I asked looking into the mug.

"Hot chocolate, with creamer. I used to have marshmallows but they've disappeared somehow. But it tastes just as good and you need to get warm. And maybe you won't hit me a little later for…having to do my job." He scratched the back of his head and looked away from me. His silver eyes seemed to be hiding a painful memory, the way his strong muscled body sat, tensed as if he was expecting to be hit.

"Why would I hit you?"

"Because…I had to undress you. I had a female present so that I wouldn't have to deal with a lawsuit. And I had her do a load of whites so that you somewhat more decent. She's washing the rest of your clothes right now." He flipped his silver hair out of his face and waited for my reaction.

"You're a doctor, right?"

"Yeah. The only one in the villages." He looked puzzled, and I laughed.

"What are you laughing for?"

"Because last time I went to a doctor… he was totally perverted! I think you're the only one that was shy of having to undress a girl. But, hey, you did what you had to do…and nothing more…right?"

~Dante Muraki~

What the hell is up with this girl? Most girls would have killed me by now. I never thought that being a doctor would mean having girls trust you. But then again…they have to rely on you to make sure they're healthy. She seems to be off her rocker.

"So you're not going to hit me?" I asked.

"No! You saved me from drowning. And now you're trying to make sure I don't get sick." She took a sip of the coco and let her words sink in.

"How did you become such a wimp?"

I looked at her with shock…"I'm used to be hit because it happens on the job, every time. It's a pattern with women." I explained.

"Not with this one." She tried to sit up the blankets slid down to her waist and I looked away. It wasn't my place to be looking, she propped the pillows and rested, pulling up the blanket to cover her.

"And anyway, you're not comfortable about seeing a woman's body, are you?"

"N-n-no, not really." I admitted. I became a doctor because everyone in my family was one, Including my grandfather who I held dear in my life. She smiled, "I knew you were different." Then she became quiet, a haunted look crept into her eyes.

"Hey, don't cry. Once you have your clothes, we can tour the village and go torment little kids. My specialty." I said, putting on a stupid grin.

"What's your name?"

"My name is Dante Muraki. And yours my gorgeous patent?"

"My name's Sara, Sara Mimmori. Half American and half Japanese." A tear ran down her cheek…and another…and another. I couldn't help it, I sat on the bed and pulled her into a hug.

"You shouldn't dwell on the past until you're better. Will you do that for me?" I asked her gently, I felt her nod against my shoulder and she leaned back against the backboard pillows and pulled the blanket up. Her long violet hair was in a messy braid and her violet eyes where shocking as they fit her personality, Weird, but in a good way that could be misinterpreted. She was built like a swimmer or someone that was very athletic. A knock interrupted my thinking.

"Come in." I called. And Ms. Tenguyho came in, carrying a basket of clothes.

"I have half her clothes here, rest are drying? Where do I put these ones?" she asked. Not bothering to wait for an answer she put them on my dresser and took off. Sara saw her clothes and got up, gracefully walking to them and picked out some Tripp pants, a black corset with longs sleeves without shoulders, and took off her bra.

"Ahh! Have you no honor?" I cried out, covering my eyes.

"When you share a room with the oldest boy in your family, you get used to having to change in a corner. I have to change into a special bra anyway, so I can wear my corset top." She laughed and kept dressing.

"You can look now." She chimed. I opened my eyes and found her leaning over me, showing off her cleavage.

"I know you're gay anyway. You won't look at me, and you're too well mannered." She rambled on.

"I'm not gay." I said.

"If you say so."

"I'm Not gay!"

"Okay."

"You know what? I'm not gonna argue about sexuality, so whatever."

~~Sara's P.O.V.~~

He's cute, sexy and yet he's not willing to look at a woman? He has to be gay…a waste of a guy though. Maybe I'll tease him later.

"So, you single?"

"Yeah. When did you hit your head?"

"Several times…"

"When did your family die?"

"Three years ago. I'm out for revenge though."

"WHAT!!??" he exclaimed. "You're an orphan?"

"Yeah, but I'm used to it by now. I live by myself, but I had to evacuate, due to a rodent problem. I'm unpredictable in how or where I live. Hahaha, go figure." I said, when he looked at me with pity, I stomped my foot.

"Don't. I live how I like, dress how I like and I love it like it is. I'm finally free from my father." He fell over in his chair.

"You sound like a biker from the big city." He said laughing. I smiled and nodding my head.

"Maybe it's because I have no one to love me, or to tease." I stuck out my tongue.

"Well, you're a bunny girl then?" he asked without laughing…

"No, I'm tease and a bitch." I whirled around and put on my usual accessories, a choker with a couple of sword charms hanging from it, bracelets that had spikes on them, some with a design of roses and last but not least my spiked gloves.

"Wow, a full biker chick." He commented with awe.

"No, a gang-rebel. I find out information about the people who murdered my family by winning bitch fights in front of the gang leaders, and then I fight the best fighter there is to prove my point. They've started calling me Chaos, for my skill and ruthlessness. This is the first time I was beaten like that."

"How old are you?"

"18, why?"

"Heh, I'm 20, I though you were about 21 or so."

"Ok, I get that a lot." I sat on the bed and laid down, yawning and stretching to try and entice him. He only handed me my mug.

"If you're gonna go out you need to drink this and wear a coat when you go out, miss." He said as he went back to being a doctor.

"So when did you graduate?"

"Last year, I started early so I graduated early. I moved here a couple months ago to help with the illnesses and the child population."

"Is there too many or something?"

"No, there's almost none. Completely the opposite of what you think. The men here have a hard time being fertile, I'm here to study the problem."

"Then you must be pretty good."

"Nope, I'm new so they give me a small learning situation." He huffed and turned to face me, "You hungry?"

"A little."

"Do you want a hamburger and fries or a chicken sandwich?"

"I'd like the hamburger and fries please." I sat up and gulped down my coco. He went to the next room, and I followed.

"You're supposed to be resting." He chimed.

"You didn't seem to mind when I was dressing." I cheerfully chimed; he blushed a deep red and mumbled something about decency.

"You're lucky you weren't awake when I was tending to your injuries. Otherwise you would be screaming in pain. You're lucky that you fell into a river that was cold and led you straight to me. Otherwise you would still be swelling and hurting like hell." He informed me. I stood behind him and hugged him…

"Any other reasons why I'm lucky?" I whispered in his ear.

"None that I can think of at the moment."

"Good." And I went back to the bedroom and got into the bed and rested, just like a good girl.

~~Dante Muraki~~

That girl is crazy, she's acting like she wants to seduce me, nahh. Maybe she's just lonely and wants to push the limits. Yeah, that's it. I need to tell her the limits.

I went back to my room to find her resting like she was never up. I had been nearly a week since I rescued her from the river. And she had only a few bruises and a cut to show any evidence of her experience with the river, even those stab wound were just shallow wounds by now.

"You seem to heal quicker than any of my other patents. You also seem to be a lot more different than all my other patents."

"What can I say…I'm not a normal person." He smiled. "I smell something burning."

"Shit!" I ran to the kitchen to find the food starting to burn and I shut off the heat to save them. "They were well done, but not burnt." I dished up the fries and a bowl of ketchup on each plate and took them to the bedroom.

"Nice save."

"Thanks." She ate her food in silence and when she was done she took my empty plate and took them into the kitchen, and then came back.

"You want to go see the village? I asked her, knowing what she would say.

"Yeah, I wanna go outside." She jumped up and put on the weirdest boots I've ever seen.

"Where did you get such weird clothes?"

"In America. I traveled there for a summer for a couple of years."

"Okay, wear a coat or you'll get sick."

"I'm living with a doctor for crying out loud!"

~~Sara's P.O.V.~~

I smiled at his concern, and then got my warm leather coat from the pile of clothes and followed him outside. A gust of wind blew when he shut the door and I walked to the bridge that I spotted through the window at looked down at the huge river.

"This is where I was standing when I spotted your red sweatshirt. Right there's where I pulled you out." He pointed right below a Sakura tree.

"Underneath the Cherry Blossom tree?"

"That's what that tree is?" he rolled his eyes and laughed, "I must sound so stupid!"

"Most guys can't tell any trees apart." I whispered.

We walked around the village and met the important people and the children that were out and about. Dr. Muraki seemed to love children and he even acted like one at times. We started a snowball fight and the whole village joined in. It was after dark when we finally made it back to his place. Shivering from the cold and laughing when a child threw a snowball at his mom and got hit by one his dad threw. I enjoyed the time outside even though at sometimes my back throbbed with pain until I had to sit down.

A wave hit me and I hit the floor and curled up before the next one.

"What's wrong?"

"I think I need my chiropractor."

"Lay on your stomach." He commanded, I did and he cracked my back and the pain disappeared. "An easy fix." He held out his hand to help me up.

"So what are you? Super doctor or something?" I asked, awed.

"I think the 'or something' part." He laughed. "You want a fire or do you just wanna go to sleep?"

"Both." I smiled and he got to work making a log fire. I got my sweats and put them on and crawled into the bed and rested there.

"There, one log fire is on its way."

"Hey, while I was sleeping…where did you sleep?"

"On the floor. I didn't want to scare you, and I didn't want to get the crap beaten out of me either."

I sighed, "You can sleep up here with me, but try anything-"

"I won't."

"And this bed is big enough to fit 4 people." I scooted over to the other side and he lay down on top of the covers, while I was underneath them. And I fell asleep.

~~Dante Muraki~~

I sat there, watching her sleep, thinking about how I would feel in her shoes. Trying to get revenge for her family's murder and then keeping herself in top fighting shape in order to win information from the gang leaders…even if she was beaten them within to an inch of their life.

The next thing I know is that I was waking up to the sound of someone knocking on the door. I got up and answered the door, it was the errand runner, with a couple gallons of fresh, clean water.

"The Lord, of the village that is, wanted to make sure you got enough water to take care of the frozen girl. He said he doesn't want a death on his hands because you didn't have the supplies that you needed." And then he bowed and ran off. I closed the door and went to warm up some of the water so that she could wash up when she so chose to do so. She shifted her weight and got comfortable and then settled back into her wonderful sleep. She woke to the smell of bacon frying, I watched her yawn and sit up on the bed. I stepped out of the kitchen and crossed the room to sit next to her.

"Good Morning." I said to her. She smiled and sat up. I leaned over to take her temperature with my hand.

~~Sara's P.O.V.~~

His hand was warm, then he took it away and smiled.

"Your temp. is normal. So I think you're pretty good." He said happily.

"I think you're pretty good too." I said jokingly. He laughed and went to the kitchen, and came back with a plate full of pancakes with bacon and eggs.

"Here, you need to eat to keep your strength. Plus I don't want to hear you complain." He smiled and got up again. "Let me know when you want to take your bath." And he disappeared from the room.

"Why do you act like I'm a dangerous animal or something?" I asked angrily, yelling so that he couldn't pretend as if he never heard me. I ate in silence and he came back, wiping his mouth with a napkin.

"You missed a spot." I said, setting down my fork.

"Where?"

"Your chin." He wiped his chin, only getting part of it.

"Why don't you get it?" he handed me the napkin, and sat down on the bed. I wiped his mouth.

"You were a momma's boy, when you were little, huh?"

"How'd you know?"

"You show all the signs…you can't do a single thing by yourself."

"Hey! I've gotten by for years without my mom or my son-of-a-bitch-father! I don't need anyone else to take care of me. I'm a doctor; do you know what that means? It means I take care of other people, sick people at that, and just because I can't wipe my face off while thinking." He stormed off. He came back a few moments later and sat back down.

"I'm sorry, I'm just edgy." He sighed and rubbed his head.

"That's alright." I said, shocked that he had come back to apologize.

"You're bath's ready, by the way." He handed me a couple nice, fluffy aqua green towels.

"Thanks." I took them and got up, but I fell over and the good doctor caught me and helped me to stand up.

"I'm just dizzy. Where's the bathroom?"

"Let me walk you there." He said, putting my arm around his neck.

"I can do it myself." I insisted but he still wouldn't let me go and he walked me to the bathroom. He sat me down on the huge counter and got out a first aid kit and took my temp.

"You're running a fever, the bath should help you relax and feel better. I'll bring you some medicine when you're done." He said as he moved, just in time for me to puke all over his floor and myself.

"Well…you need to change your clothes, do you want to take a bath now or when you feel better?" he pulled my hair back into a ponytail.

"I need to bathe." I managed to say, but I didn't really want to be alone though. He looked at me, "You could barely walk, do you really want to take a bath?"

"The water's hot, right?" he nodded.

"Then help me in." his eyes got big.

"Don't you need to undress?"

"I can't do it by myself, so help me." I slid down the counter, careful not to step in the puke, and started to take off my sweats that I slept in, they were covered with my breakfast and I tried not to widen the spot where the mess had landed. His hands steadied me as I took off my sweatshirt and pants. His eyes weren't looking at me, but at the bath…

~Dr. Dante Muraki~

I didn't feel comfortable doing this but she needed, and wanted, a bath…so I helped her maintain her balance as she shed her dirty clothes, I wrapped a towel around her.

"I just want you to feel comfortable." I hoped that she wouldn't accuse me of being gay again. She just nodded and stepped into the bath as she lowered herself I held the towel so that it didn't get wet. I waited until she was settled until I turned to leave.

"Please don't leave, I don't feel safe in the water." She whispered, she shivered at the memory of whatever had happened near the river.

"Okay, I won't leave. I have some books to read in here." I leaned over to one of the cupboards and opened it, there was about 50 books in there, along with some pens and puzzles. I plucked out a book about two mages and an alchemist, with wars and romance. It was one of the few romance books in the house, and I liked, I found that if you give a patient a book to read it makes things a whole lot easier.

"Do you want a book to read?" I asked her, she shook her head.

"No thank you, I'm partly dyslexic. I can't read that great." She scrubbed her legs. Long and smooth legs…

"You mind if I read out loud then? It's a really good book."

"What's it about?"

"Two mages, and Alchemist and a forbidden romance in the middle of the most important war of history. One of my patients gave it to me, she said it was a good book and I read it and agreed." I saw a smile creep across her face and I felt one tug on the corners of my face, she thought about it then nodded.

"I guess I could put up with a story like that, but you have to admit that most guys don't read romance though."

I shrugged, "Yeah, but you girls like to read them so much so why not?" she slunk further in while I opened up the book and began to read out loud. I kept my eyes on the pages I was reading, but I heard her washing herself, and kept focusing on the book.

~~Sara~~

I listened to him as he read out loud; his voice changed and captured my attention, like he was a professional storyteller. I was more then entertained, I was lost in the adventure, but I was getting cold.

"Could you help me out, and dress?" I asked him. He took his eyes off the book to look at my face, his eyes were wide and worried.

"I trust you, and to be frank, I can't dress myself when I'm dizzy."

"You have a point there." He admitted, and then got the towel again. I managed to get out of the bathtub and wrapped in the towel before I stumbled, thanking the gods as he caught me and that he had cleaned up my…mess, I got my balance again.

"You're acting like you're drunk." He said with a chuckle.

"I swear to drunk I'm not God, honestly Mr. Beer I only had two occifers." I said with practiced ease. He smiled and led me out to the bedroom.

"I'm glad that you haven't lost your sense of humor." He chuckled.

"I could say the same thing to you. Hold up, I gotta grab some clothes." He stopped at the dresser and waited for me to grab a new set of sweats.

"Jeez, how many things did you pack in that small suitcase?"

"A lot, considering that it was custom made, not to mention I pack everything air tight."

"That explains all the plastic baggies." He mumbled. I laughed at him.

"It's how I got all my stuff to fit in that suitcase. So how could you say something like that?" I pouted.

"Oh, you look so cute like that. Too bad that you're not that innocent." He smiled. "Well let's get you dressed so you can go to sleep."

I plopped onto the bed and fell onto my back, I didn't seem to have enough energy to sit up and dress, the towel wrapped around me felt heavy. I couldn't breathe. He seemed to know this because he leaned forward and loosened the towel, just enough to let the air whoosh into my lungs. I felt something sliding up my legs and he helped me set up, "You need to put your…under garments on, if you would be so kind."

"I'll try, but I don't have the energy." I grabbed my unders and pulled them up, but I couldn't move any more and I fell, right on top of him.

"Couldn't wait to seduce me huh?"

"Good thing you didn't lose your sense of humor." I mumbled and I fell asleep.

A cold cloth wiped my forehead and I peeked my eyes open, Muraki was smiling and reading a book. I raised my hand and caught his attention, he put the book down, and sat on the bedspread.

"You better?" he asked brushing hair out of my eyes. I nodded and tapped my throat. I was thirsty, he leaned over and kissed where my hand had been just a second before.

"I'll have a mug for you in a second. I'm sorry but I had to dress you so no one got the wrong idea if they came in and saw us in the same bed and you weren't clothed."

I grabbed him and pulled him into a kiss, it felt good when he had kissed me, and I wanted more. He kissed me hungrily; his hands caressed my neck and my head. He was on top of me and I felt him harden and wondered if I was past _that memory_ yet. He was kissing my neck and I wanted more than that, I squirmed under him to arouse him more. He moaned and he shifted to stop me from rubbing against him.

"Stop that, can't hold back if you do that."

"I don't want you to." I whispered.

"We shouldn't…shouldn't be doing this." He whispered, regretfully. He got off me and I moaned in frustration. He handed me a cup of tea.

"That should help with the…you should be stronger when you drink that. It makes you keep the energy you need and helps endurance."

I drank it down and got up, going outside before he could come back from the kitchen to get me another glass.

"Hey! Chaos! Damn it!" I heard him yell.

~~Dante Muraki~~

I came back to find the room empty and the door open.

"Hey! Chaos! Damn it!" I yelled.

I ran out the door after her, she was pretty quick for an injured girl. But I guess rest really does help. And she was upset too, probably giving her the fuel to keep going. I followed her tracks to a bench underneath a couple of trees, my favorite thinking spot. She sat there, face in her hands; I sat down next to her and put my arm around her. I let her lean on me and I waited for her to be normal again. She slid her arms around me and I got up, holding her waist as she followed suit. Chaos walked by my side, quietly, and made no protest as I opened the door to the cottage. Gently, I laid her on the bed and went to close the door.

"Doctor…" the word came from her mouth as a whimper.

"Yes?" I asked closing the door.

"Do you think I'll be able to leave soon?"

"If you promise not to cry." I teased, she smiled.

"I'm serious. I wanna leave, so I can finish the…project I started."

"The gang thing?"

"Yeah." I watched her as she leaned on the pillows that she propped. I wanted to touch her but I shouldn't, she was my patient and I was, for right now, her doctor. A professional relationship was all that we could have.

"Actually, you could leave any time you want. You only fainted from poor nutrition. I think that you didn't eat for a couple days before you got yourself in that fight. Isn't that right?"

"Yeah, you're right about that. I didn't have any money and I still don't…oh well. I can get a job."

~~Sara P.O.V~~

He seemed to be amused, about what? I had no clue.

"So…I'm not your doctor anymore?" he asked.

"No, unless you want to be." I chuckled.

"No, not really. Considering you're a tough patient." He said laughing

"Really?" I asked, the tone of his voice was intriguing. He sat on the bed and leaned forward to touch his lips to mine. My hands ran though his hair, his silvery hair. He deepened the kiss and tasted me, I moaned into his mouth and he smiled. Pulling away and going to my neck, nipping softly he went up to my ear and nibbled. Sending fire down to my core, I squirmed and I felt him smile. He kissed my neck again and worked his way up to my lips.

"Dante…" I tested his name on my lips, his eyes went cloudy and he cocked his head.

"What is it, Chaos?"

"My name is Sara." I smiled and kissed him.

~~Dante Muraki~~

She decided that I wasn't her doctor anymore, that was all I needed. I kissed her, free of worry and she had responded, she tried my name and I felt a current go down my spine. I was surprised when she kissed me and pulled me on top of her. She felt so good underneath me, soft yet firm and best thing of all, she seemed to want it as much as me. Sara flipped us over and started to nip at my neck and ears. It felt so damn good, her hands pinned me down and her legs were on either side of mine, the shirt I slipped down and I swallowed at the skin I saw. Her mouth worked wonders on my neck and my ears, she kissed me and I felt myself harden so it much it hurt, I wanted her so bad. I flipped us back again and placed myself so that she could feel how much I wanted her. She squirmed again making me groan into her mouth.

"Don't do that again…" I told her breathlessly. Her hands moved to my shirt and unbuttoned it, her hands caressed my torso and I quivered. Laughter from outside snapped me back to reality, I got up and buttoned my shirt. The kids burst in and tackled me.

"Dr. Muraki! My mom! She's giving birth and…and she's screaming for you."

"She's very scary." The little sister hugged her brother. Sara got off the bed and hugged them, "Come on, why don't we go play a game while the doctor goes to take care of your mama and new sibling. Okay?" she asked them gently, a sly smile on her face.

"What do you want to play Kumiko?" the brother asked his sister.

"Hide and seek?" she whispered. She took their hands in hers and led them over to the pond. I ran over to their house and took a swallow. This was only my second birthing and I wasn't exactly the doctor last time.

~~Sara~~

I counted and looked around the lake, I found her brother and tickled him until he said that he gave up. Then we set out to look for Kumiko. She had buried herself in a small igloo. I put her on my hips and we went back to the house and I made some hot coco for them and told them stories. My mother had told me them when I was young and I heard them so often I had them memorized. They had fallen asleep and I was half-way there when Muraki came in, the snow blowing in a fierce wind as he closed the door. His hands were bathed in blood up to his elbows. I got up and turned on the hot water for him and got the soap from the bathroom and brought it to him in the kitchen. He scrubbed himself and said nothing, I rubbed his shoulders and he sighed. He was tense and I massaged his shoulders until he wasn't full of knots. He turned off the water and dried his hands.

"Muraki? What's wrong?" I asked him softly, he shook his head.

"She died, didn't she?" I took a guess, he looked away and remained silent. The children woke up and walked over to hug him, he shied away and they looked hurt.

"Kumiko…go see if you have to use the bathroom." Kumiko took my hand and I led her to the bathroom. I waited outside and she came out, looking proud of herself.

"I'm a big girl, and brother is keeping me that way now."

"Kumiko, how old is your brother?"

"Kim is 10 and I am 4 now."

"Wow, come on why don't we go back to bed, it's dark outside and your mom is tired, she said you can stay with us for tonight."

"Really? Could you tell us one more story?"

"Why don't we go see how the guys are and see if they're up to hearing another one? You know how guys are…they're a little bit on the wimpy side."

"Yeah." She agreed and we walked back to the kitchen, Kim was silently crying and Muraki was leaning against the counter.

"Come on, we have another story to hear, Sara said she'll tell us another one."

"Kumiko…that would be fun wouldn't it. Could you make it about mother?" he looked hopeful and somewhat protective.

"Yeah, that would be better." Kumiko tugged on my arm.

"I'll try. Come on, we have a huge bed with our name on it." Together we settled down and I took the story of a princess who felt trapped in her world and escaped through a spell from a helpful spirit. This spell would take her to the paradise of her dreams, but she felt bad because she had to leave behind her children. Kumiko hugged Kim and whispered softly.

"Mommy told me that one last night. She said that we would hear it today and for us to know she loves us very much."

Muraki looked at me and tipped his head to the kitchen, we got up and went to the table.

"How did you know?"

"The emptiness in your eyes. The way you tried to stay away from everyone else." I sat down and put my head in my hands.

"When you see death before your very eyes, whether you knew the person or they were just someone next to you on the bus, it haunts you until you die. It changes you and you can't get it out of your mind until you do something about it."

"So, you know something about it." He scoffed. "However what you don't know is how it feels when you know you could have done something about it. You could have stopped the bleeding and saved her life."

"Perhaps you should have listened better! I could have stopped them from killing my parents and I didn't understand that until about a year ago. You think I don't know how haunting that thought might be?" I stood up, sending the chair flying into the wall. I thought I could trust him but I was wrong. I walked out and grabbed my suitcase, it was already packed, I didn't plan on going until the spring but I kept my stuff together, grabbed my jacket and walked out the door. The snow was light and I couldn't feel the wind, so I kept walking. At the bridge I looked back, there was dead silence and no one out, except for a little beggar girl. At the beginning of the bridge, I went back to her and opened my suitcase and gave her my red sweatshirt.

"You can come with me if you want."

"I would like that." She stood and took my hand, and we walked to Nagasaki. There I paid for a hotel room for a night and we slept.

~~Dante Muraki~~

She thought I didn't know that part of her past, but how could she know how I feel! I could have saved Celina! I'm a doctor for that very reason, so I could save others. I sank down against the wall, the patter of small feet made me look up. Kumiko smiled as she sat down next to me and hugged my arm as she curled up next to me. Her head was on my biceps and she went back to sleep.

~~Sara~~

I woke to the sound of running water. The beggar girl was taking a shower and running the washer too. I threw back the covers and dressed in my gang rebel clothes, I knew the local gang here and they had the information that I needed to catch the bastards who murdered my family and retaliate.

"Sara?"

"Yes?" I asked.

"What do you have to do here?" she asked.

"I have to fight someone. But this person has a lot of friends so you'll have to stay here, where it's safe."

"Okay. I won't let anyone in either, except you." She smiled and bounced on the corner of the bed. "By the way…while you were with the doctor for the month…how come you never got together?"

"He's a little thick in the head." I said, smiling, trying not to let my real emotion seep through. "I'll be back in a couple of hours." I grabbed my jacket and went out of the hotel and went to the street corner where my contact waited.

"So what are you looking for sweet thing." He whistled.

"A bitch fight. And information."

"You win against King's bitch and you'll deserve it."

"Take me to the ring." I winked at him and he walked me to car and drove me to a warehouse.

"What did you bring me Tate?" A man asked leaning against another car.

"A bitch fight." I answered, climbing out of them car, my jacket over my shoulder. I sauntered over to him with a smile on my face.

"I'm told you got information about a gang who killed a couple and their kids for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Their last name was Noriko."

"We did that hit for hire. You don't have to win a bitch fight for that."

"Well then I guess my search is over, there's one more thing for you to do."

"And what's that?" he asked.

"You missed one. I'm Sara Noriko." I tossed my jacket back into the car I arrived in. "You can die in a fight between me and you."

"I wasn't the one who ruled back them, and I'm surprised you don't recognize me sweety." He took his glasses off to reveal my brother's eyes. A mix of our violet and his father's blue.

"Ryo!" I squealed and ran into him, hugging him as tightly as I could.

"I already got them for mother." He kissed my hair and laughed.

"I was looking for your killer."

"You won't find them, I'm alive."

"Then I can stop looking for the other one." Ryo nodded towards the female approaching us, a hard look on her face.

"Get away from my man, whore."

"Wanna back that up with fists bitch?" I stepped towards her.

"I was trained to be an assassin from my fourth birthday." She smirked and grabbed my wrist, I twisted her and slammed her into the warehouse wall.

"Then you should have know not to rush into things." Ryo shot her and it was done. It was quick, and anti-climatic but it was done.

"King, I don't understand." The young man said from the car.

"My sister had her revenge. Set her up at my estate and with a car." Ryo dismissed him and picked me up and took me to his shiny black car.

"Where you staying?"

"How about you let me drive?"

"Just as long as you don't crash my baby." He set me down and handed me the keys. I drove to the hotel and went up to my room.

"Hey Sara!" Yuka called outside the door.

"Pack it up, we're leaving. It's done." I shouted with glee.

"We're going back to the doctor?"

"No, to my brother's estate." I packed with ease and she looked at me with confusion.

"My brother is alive, he wasn't killed like I thought he was. He took care of the gang and they're like some new gang now."


End file.
